ST26 Round 3 Challenge

The tournament is halfway through;
We’ve had two rounds of fun.
But tougher things are asked of you
Before the whole thing’s done.

This round, I fear, you can’t get lax
While sculpting lines of text,
For careless wordsmiths get the axe;
I hope you won’t be next!

“So what’s the task?” I hear you shout.
I’m showing you right here!
Keep reading, and I’ll spell it out
So all is crystal clear…

Meter Readers: Write and record a song with at least 3 different verses/stanzas that strictly adhere to common meter - 4 iambic lines alternating 8 and 6 syllables, with an ABAB rhyme scheme. You may have other lyrics that don't fit the meter (e.g. a chorus or bridge) as long as you have at least 3 different stanzas that do.

If you're confused, keep reading. I'll break down each requirement, and then present examples.

Your stanzas in common meter must have the following:

• Four lines of text: Hopefully this one is self-explanatory.
• Iambic stress pattern: 
• An iamb is a poetic unit (or "foot") consisting of two syllables; the first syllable is unstressed and the second syllable is stressed. 
• The words "today" and "begin" are iambs, because the second syllable in each word is stressed. The words "Tuesday" and "begging" are not iambs (they're trochees), because the first syllables is stressed. 
• A line of text is iambic if it consists of iambs. Thus each line will begin with an unstressed syllable and end with a stressed syllable, with stress alternating in between. I know you might not choose to write like this on purpose, but for now you must.
• Read that last sentence again; it's fully iambic: "I know / you might / not choose / to write / like this / on pur/pose, but / for now / you must." (Note that the two-syllable word "purpose" is split between two iambs: "on pur-" and "-pose, but". This is fine.)
• Alternating 8- and 6-syllable lines: 
• The first and third lines of each stanza must have eight syllables (four iambs). 
• The second and fourth lines of each stanza must have six syllables (three iambs).
• ABAB rhyme scheme: 
• The last syllable of the first line must rhyme with the last syllable of the third line. 
• The last syllable of the second line must rhyme with the last syllable of the fourth line. 

Here is the poem "Indian Summer" by Dorothy Parker, each stanza of which meets the requirements of this challenge. Stressed syllables are in bold; rhymes are color-coded.

In youth, it was a way I had

     To do my best to please,

And change, with every passing lad

     To suit his theories.

But now I know the things I know,

     And do the things I do;

And if you do not like me so,

     To hell, my love, with you!

Here is the well-known hymn "Amazing Grace" by John Newton, similarly marked:

Amazing grace (how sweet the sound)

that saved a wretch like me!

I once was lost, but now am found,

was blind, but now I see.

Here is the opening stanza of "America the Beautiful", with an eye-rhyme of "skies" and "majesties":

O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!

The three-stanza poem that opens this blog post also meets the challenge.

This round only, you may submit a draft of your lyrics early if you are unsure if they meet the challenge. If you email me before Friday, October 2, I will read your lyrics and either 1) confirm that they meet the challenge, or 2) point out where and how they don't. You may then revise your lyrics as needed. If you email me with draft lyrics on or after Friday, October 2, I can't guarantee I will be able to give you feedback before the final submission deadline.

If I determine that your final submission does not meet the challenge, it will be disqualified.

Submitting Entries:

• Your entry must be received by Monday, October 5, 2026 @ 9:00 AM EDT. Otherwise it'll be posted as a shadow. Received means that it has to appear in my e-mail inbox (spintunescontest@gmail.com) by the given deadline. I will be going by the time stamp on the e-mail. One minute late is too late.

• You are allowed and encouraged to submit a draft of your song early just in case something horrible happens and you miss the deadline. Then you can add polish to your song and send in a better version closer to the deadline. The last version received prior to the deadline is your official entry. 

• Lyrics are mandatory. No instrumentals. Having no lyrics will get you disqualified.

• SUBMITTING BY EMAIL: Send your file in a format that BandCamp accepts. (.wav or .flac) (at least 16-bit/44.1kHz) Do not send MP3s.
• Name your file the song's title + your band name.
• The subject line of the e-mail should identify the challenge and your band's name. Something like this would be fine: "ST26R3 - All the Robots".
• Include the song lyrics in the body of the e-mail.
• Include information on anyone that needs credited if you collaborated with someone.

• ALTERNATE FILE SHARING OPTIONS: If your file is too big for an email attachment, you may email me a link to where I can download the song. The email still needs to land in my inbox by the deadline.
• If you have a Bandcamp account you can just send me a link to your song if you include all the info I mentioned for emails. Info such as lyrics and song credits can be included in the email or on the song's Bandcamp page. Make sure you have it set as a free download, and have it set so that I don't have to put in an e-mail to download it if you pick this option.
• You may also use a file sharing service such as DropBox, WeTransfer, Google Drive, etc. Include in the email any required information (such as lyrics) that you couldn't include in the file. Make sure I have permission to download the file, and please follow directions so your file doesn't wind up in my spam or trash folder accidentally.

• SONG BIOS: In addition to lyrics and any necessary credits, you are welcome to include a "song bio", with any information you feel is useful. This could include your inspiration for the song, citations for any obscure references within the lyrics, an explanation of how your song met the challenge, etc. Some challenges may require you to supply certain info in your song bio. Since the judges are volunteers with lives outside of SpinTunes, song bios can help them zero in on aspects of the song you feel are important. However, if your song requires a multi-paragraph explanation in order to understand and appreciate it, this is probably a sign that it doesn't stand up well on its own, and its ranking may reflect that.

Side Notes:

• You can send in an entry to SpinTunes 26 without competing. Just tell me it's a "Shadow Song". It will be played at the listening party, but won't be ranked and you might not receive feedback from the judges. Check the FAQ if you don't know what that means. You can even complete past challenges from previous contests. It's a nice way of playing along if you can't commit to the schedule or you just want to get your feet wet.
• The only other way to get your music played at the listening party is to cover "Today's The Day" by Inverse T. Clown or "Right Again" by Mandibles.

Feel free to leave any questions in the comments.